Multiple purpose undergarment



Dec. 22, O, MULTIPLE PURPOSE UNDERGARMENT Filed Jan. 25, 1965 I N VENTOR. 6A 52m-$25k rOQA/E Ys.

United States Patent Oiiice 3,162,197 Patented Dec. 22, 1954 Thisinvention relates to improvements in womens undergarments of a typehaving characteristics of both a half slip and pantie, an illustrationof which may be found in Patent 3,066,308, issued December 4, 1962, tome on Slip-Type Undergarment. This kind of garment heretofore has servedthe purpose of a half slip so changed from the ordinary to have a closedcrotch and leg extents as to have also pantie features.

My general object now is to provide a multiple purpose garment of thistype having characteristics not only of a combined half slip and pantie,but also of a girdle and integrated garter support or belt, all in amanner such that each function and feature is Without interference bythe others and the assembly therefore is comfortably wearable as well asbeing highly functional.

Structurally, this type of garment comprises an upper torso encirclingportion, a closed crotch, and legs extending below to normal sliplength. Serving as a slip and pantie, the wearer would require aseparate girdle and garter supports.

In accordance with the present invention, I combine slip, pantie, girdleand garter support features in a single garment by making the uppertorso encircling portion of elastic fabric to an extent and in a mannercapable of serving as a girdle, and join thereto the lower crotchedconstruction of inelastic fabric having slip and pantie suitability,within the upper leg portions of which are contained garters supportedfrom the elastic section.

The invention particularly contemplates a lower section constructionwhich provides one front side and leg portion with a fold overlappingthe other side and leg for the dual purposes of crotch concealment, andto present an apparent skirt continuity in a normal straight hangingcondition of the fold, which further adds to leg concealment as thewearer walks.

While the girdle section may be made entirely of elastic material, andwith or without inelastic or differentially elastic inserts or sections,I preferably provide the girdle area with a front essentially inelasticpanel for less yielding stomach support. This panel may be made of arelatively thin, but stretch resistant fabric, presenting the feature ofadded attractiveness and suitability for decoration as later explained.

The invention has various additional features and objects, all of whichwill be more fully understood from the following detailed description ofan illustrative embodiment shown by the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a view showing Athe garment in front elevation, with the foldturned back to show the bottom extent of the crotch;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section on line 2--2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of FIG. l.

The garment is shown to comprise an upper elastic torso encirclingportion generally indicated at 10, and a lower portion 11 made ofrelatively lighter weight inelastic fabric such as a knitted weavefabric commonly used as slip material. In the manner later described,the lower section 11 of the garment is constructed with a closed crotchformation, the bottom extent appearing at 12 in FIG. 1, with circularlyclosed legs 13 extending below the crotch to normal half slip length.

The upper section is shown to be made of elastic fabric 14 to extendabout the body of the wearer from seams 1S where the elastic material issewed to an inelastic front center panel 16. For proper stretchresistance and body confinement, the fabric 14 has its 4elastic threadsrunning horizontally, and the material may or may not have consequentstretchability or elasticity vertically. The center panel 16 desirablyis made of a relatively thn sheer fabric which is inelastic andnon-stretchable, as is characteristic for example of a `sheer nylonweave.

The slip material fabric of the lower section 11 is sewed to thedescribed upper section 14 at the body encircling seam line 17. The slipmaterial is sewed along a seam line 18 curving downwardly from itsjuncture with the seam 17 to the bottom extent indicated at 12, to forma closed crotch structure, at opposite sides of which results the legopenings 19. Referring particularly to FIGS. l and 4, it will beobserved that the fabric at 2@ is doubled upon itself to form a foldextending from one side and corresponding leg of the garment beyond itsvertical center line (corresponding to the section line 2 2), to providea multiple thickness overlap of such width, as substantially accordingto the portions illustrated, to serve the dual purposes of crotchconcealment and an extent of leg overlap which in the normal straighthanging condition of the fold gives apparent skirt-like continuity tothe garment. The edge of the fold 20 is sewed to the fabric underneathalong a seam line 21 extending downwardly from the seam 17 a distancewhich may be substantially as illustrated, which assures positionaldefinition of the fold at the top part with allowance for leg freedombelow.

Front and rear pairs of garters 22 and 23 depend within the upper legopenings from attachments at 24 to the upper section 11 at the seam 17.

The garment may be decorated by the attachment of lace bands 25 aboutthe bottom edges of the legs, and also by a lace band 26 which overliesthe fold 20 and extends from its bottom upwardly to the waist band 26and in central overlying relation to the inelastic panel 16.

As will be understood from the foregoing, the elastic section 10 servesthe plural functions of support for the leg slip construction below, asa body conlining girdle, and also as support for the garters 22 and 23.The lower section 11, including its koverlapping fold construction, issymmetrically oriented in relation to the upper elastic section as arethe positioning and arrangement of the depending garters within theupper leg openings.

It will be understood that the drawing is intended to be illustrative ofthe invention in a typical though preferred form, and that variouschanges in detail may be made without departure from the intended scopeof the invention.

I claim:

l. A half-slip length undergarment comprising an upper torso encirclingportion made at least in part of elastic fabric to have girdlecharacteristics, a lower portion made of inelastic fabric sewn at itstop about the garment to the lower edge portion of said elastic fabric,said lower portion comprising side sections sewn together, and a closedcrotch formed by said sewing together of the side sections at a seamextending upwardly to a terminal at the bottom front center of saidtorso encircling portion, said side sections forming separate legextents below the crotch and adapted to be worn loosely about the legsof the wearer, the fabric of one of said leg extents having a foldextending from a bottom front central edge of said torso encirclingportion to the bottom of the garment and the fold extending laterallybeyond the vertical center line of the garment to overlap said crotchseam terminal and to overlap also the other of said leg extents.

2. A garment according to claim 1, in which the t Y. V'3 overlappingextent of the fold Vis sewed to the underlying fabric at an upper extentonly of the'fold.

3. A garment according to claim 2, in which the front of said torsoencircling `portion contains a panel of'inelastic material verticallycoextensive with said! elas-V tic fabric and alned with and sewn to saidfold, said inelastic fabric being attached by side edge seams to saidelastic fabric, and'garter straps depending inside the garment from thelower ends of said seams.

4, A garment according to claim 1, in which the overlapping extent ofthe fold is sewn near its edge to the underlying fabric along a sewnli-ne extending `from the top of the fold downwardly to a location abovesaid crotch.

5. A garment according to claim l, including also garter strapsdepending from said' elastic fabric inside 15 said leg extents atopposite sides of the crotch.

6. A garment according to claim 1, in which the front of said torsoencircling portion contains atpanel of inelastic fabric verticallyjalined with said fold and to which Ythe fold is sewn.

References Cited by the Examiner Y UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,503,357' 4/50Shelton 128-519 10 2,899,962 8/,59 Entringer et al 12S-519 2,969,0681/'61 Murdock 128-524 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

ADELE M. EAGER, Examiner.

1. A HALF-SLIP LENGTH UNDERGARMENT COMPRISING AN UPPER TORSO ENCIRCLINGPORTION MADE AT LEAST IN PART OF ELASTIC FABRIC TO HAVE GIRDLECHARACTERISTICS, A LOWER PORTION MADE OF INELASTIC FABRIC SEWN AT ITSTOP ABOUT THE GARMENT TO THE LOWER EDGE PORTION OF SAID ELASTIC FABRIC,SAID LOWER PORTION COMPRISING SIDE SECTIONS SEWN TOGETHER, AND A CLOSEDCROTCH FORMED BY SAID SEWING TOGETHER OF THE SIDE SECTIONS AT A SEAMEXTENDING UPWARDLY TO A TERMINAL AT THE BOTTOM FRONT CENTER OF SAIDTORSO ENCIRCLING PORTION, SAID SIDE SECTIONS FORMING SEPARATE LEGEXTENTS BELOW THE CROTCH AND ADAPTED TO BE WORN LOOSELY ABOUT THE LEGSOF THE WEARER, THE FABRIC OF ONE OF SAID LEG EXTENTS HAVING A FOLDEXTENDING FROM A BOTTOM FRONT CENTRAL EDGE OF SAID TORSO ENCIRCLINGPORTION TO THE BOTTOM OF THE GARMENT AND THE FOLD EXTENDING LATERALLYBEYOND THE VERTICAL CENTER LINE OF THE GARMENT TO OVERLAP SAID CROTCHSEAM TERMINAL AND TO OVERLAP ALSO THE OTHER OF SAID LEG EXTENTS.